At Harvest, we make a special appeal for items for Renfrewshire Foodbank – but have you ever wondered what happens to your donations afterwards? Read on to find out how we can all make a difference, one item at a time.

When Renfrewshire Foodbank was set up 13 years ago, it was supposed to be a temporary fix to a problem that can only be resolved at a political level, but today more people than ever, including working families, are turning to it for support.

It is truly shocking to think of anyone not having enough money to buy food. That’s why our donations are so important – they really do make a difference and they let people who might be struggling know that they are not forgotten or unseen.

Every week these items are collected by our Foodbank volunteers and taken to the warehouse, where they are processed. You might imagine that this works on a simple goods in/good out basis, but it involves stock-taking on a massive scale – as well as meticulous attention to detail to ensure that nothing is wasted. “I’m a stickler for zero waste,” explains Foodbank Manager Crystal Clayton, “so if someone is kind enough to donate to us, there’s no way it won’t be used.”

Each crate or bag is unloaded from the van, weighed, and a note is made of where it came from. Next, all the use by dates are checked, items are sorted into crates in date order, and into groups: tins of spaghetti, beans, sweetcorn, and so on, and then placed on shelves ready to be made up into packages.

Everyone who comes to the Foodbank is given the same items in different amounts, depending on the size of their household. A single person, for example, receives one crate, based on a list of items compiled by the Trussell Trust, and designed to provide nutritious meals for at least three days. Crystal also offers shampoo, razors, soap and toothpaste – because being able to keep clean is a basic need too.

So far this year, the Foodbank has received more than 58 tonnes of food, and given out almost 80 tonnes of food, helping to feed 4,632 adults and 1,975 children. It has a roster of 103 staff members and volunteers and runs five distribution centres across Renfrewshire each week.

One of the busiest is at Central Baptist Church, in Paisley, where the queue is often round the block. All of the volunteers are touched by what they see: kids coming from school to help carry food home, an elderly lady who only wants items she can eat from a can because she can’t afford to heat anything – these things stay with them.

“We were supposed to be a sticking plaster, a temporary fix, but now we are very much part of the process, part of the system of support for people at the margins,” says Crystal. “Our main aim is to get rid of the cause of the problem, to alleviate the need for Foodbanks. When people come here, they have reached a point of crisis, and you can often see that they’re struggling mentally too. The things we give them are not extras, they’re literally the basic essentials. It’s heartbreaking and it infuriates me that we’re in a situation like this.”

Advisors from Advice Works are at the distribution centres too, making sure people are claiming everything they’re entitled to, and that isn’t the reason why they’ve had to come to the Foodbank.

Nobody is obliged to take everything in their crates, because it’s important that they are able to make choices – a principle that extends to the choices they make elsewhere. “We often ask for donations of pet food,” explains Crystal, “because I’ve heard plenty of stories of people feeding their pets before they feed themselves.” This year they have provided food for 130 dogs, 122 cats, a rabbit and a ferret.

Crystal knows that the cost of living crisis isn’t just affecting the people who turn to the Foodbank for help – it’s affecting those who donate too.

“Our donations have definitely been down, but the last thing we want is for someone to be going without themselves – if we all put in just one item, that’s a great contribution itself, and it will make a difference to someone, so we are grateful for every single thing we receive,” she says.

If you’d like to donate to our Harvest Thanksgiving appeal, please see our website and Facebook page for items that are most needed by Renfrewshire Foodbank.

Thank you.